Crafty Ladies...

What are you making this week, or what did you make this last week?

I almost didn't share this one, because it's not ME. But it may be one of you. I made this purse for a friend of my mother's who's coming down with her to visit this month. The lady is doing us a favor, so the least I could do is make her a purse. She's into hunting and stuff like that so I found the deer patterns on Etsy (one is here and one is here and grabbed some pink camo yarn, and ta da!

This one closes with velcro as I didn't feel a blingy clasp was going to look right.

Oh, and I added an L to the left, real subtle.

So what are you making?

The Blackest Page in History...

I didn't make this...I bought it on Etsy. But it is so awesome I must share it.

This is a photo of the actual finished piece. Can't tell it's stitched, really, can you? The stitching is incredibly varied and intricate, capturing every wrinkle Ms. Stanton had, every glint of light on her hair. This is true embroidery, not your basic cross stitch. When I pulled it from the packaging my eyes went wide. I've never seen such fancy embroidery. It fits an 8 x 10 frame, by the way.

I ordered it from a shop called Wise Olde Owl and you can check it out and maybe order your own here. She's got all kinds of cool stuff. I'm contemplating this pillow and you can imagine why. :)

Get your own.

Get one.

Crafty Ladies, What Are You Working On? 4/26/15

I've been doing a lot of crafting lately. I haven't shared it and then I asked myself, "Why the hell not?"

So, it's Sunday, and the day was free, and so I've decided to share the projects I have going right now.

First of all, I just finished another clutch. This one is for a friend. When I asked her what she liked, she said, "Southwest, Aztec, the color teal."

And this is what I came up with. The pattern is from freepatterns.com and was originally intended for a basket. But I changed it up, obviously, and added a few beads--sewed them into the pattern.

Ongoing projects:

I just started this coin purse. It's a great idea from Stitch & Zip. They are sold in the craft catalogs for 15 bucks a piece, but I found them on Amazon for 12.99, free shipping (Prime). I've ordered more than one but this is the first I'm making. The coin purse unzips all the way around, enabling you to stitch the pre-colored canvas without impediment. Then you zip it up. As a coin purse, obviously, you only unzip the top part. This means no sewing is required, which is great for me because I can stitch all day, but sew? No way.

Also in progress: a clutch that came in a kit from Framous in Canada. I'm not crazy about this. It's taking me forever, especially compared to the clutch forms. It's ten-count and larger and the entire thing has to be stitched together--and there are three pieces to each side, a bottom, a flap, another piece, and the large front and back, which you see here. I'm already so tired of the sight of it. Yet, I will trudge on. I will say that what I like about this kit is that the charts are the exact size of the canvas. You can simply place the canvas on top of the chart and mark where you see the color. Faster than counting.

Hopefully I have a finished product to show you next Sunday. I've got a third project started, but it hasn't gotten far enough for you to see much. Meanwhile, what are YOU working on?

Vintage-Looking Clutch You Can Make Yourself

There was a time when needlepoint clutches were in style. I don't see why we can't bring them back. And heck, you can make your own thanks to this awesome kit I found recently and made, with a modification. (I added a string of "pearls" on elastic to the side that when carried looks like a bracelet but actually serves as a handle. Plus, if you just leave your purse sitting there, it looks like you have a string of pearls hanging out. Elegant, eh?)

I bought the kit on Herrschners here.

The kit comes with purse form, yarn, needle, clasp, instructions. and I actually prefer this form over the forms I've been buying at JoAnn's and just stitching up.

What do you think?

This one has been gifted. I sure hope the receiver likes it as much as I do.

DIY Needlepoint Jewelry: What I've Been Doing for the Past Week or Two

I mentioned this in an earlier post, but just in case ya'll didn't click on the link and check it out, I thought I'd share...

I found these on Etsy. I actually found them via the lady's blog when I was looking up Union Jack patterns. And then I found her Etsy shop and I immediately had to purchase two of these kits, which include excess thread, 18-count canvas, jewelry pieces, needle, and instructions and pattern.

And then I made them.

You can make them too. It's not hard; just requires some patience, time (not too much though) and good eyesight. :)

Just thought I'd share. Take a look at her shop and check out her other DIY needlepoint jewelry kits.

Union Jack Plastic Canvas Clutch

I've always loved plastic canvas. It's easier to see than cross stitch--which I also do.

I was pretty excited to discover recently that they have clutch forms now. You simply put your design on it, stitch it, and then sew it up. I add self adhesive felt to the inside to make a nice lining and then added a beaded handle. Me, I'm a clutch-type of gal. I don't carry big purses, so I plan to make a few of these to match my vintage dresses.

Yea, this has nothing to do with books, movies, or strong women, I know. But it's my blog...LOL And I've shared crafts on here before and OH, many of you are Downton Abbey/Call the Midwife/Selfridge/Grantchester fans, so I think you'll appreciate this particular design.

Show your love of British TV. :)

First of all, the supplies:

The design I got free here. It's actually modified from Jenny Henry's Union Jack pillow. I had to change the flag a bit to make it look good on the rectangle form. It's not perfect. But the blue and red designs stayed the same. I simply had to "play" with it a bit to figure out where to put them, based on how the clutch would look once sewed and closed. Unfortunately I came out with crosses when closed--not what I intended but oh well. It still looks nice, I think.

The yarn, plastic canvas clutch plastic, clasp, elastic cord, self adhesive felt, and red beads were all purchased at Joann's. The Union Jack sparkly beads were bought on Etsy. The glow-in-the-dark thread is from Jenny Henry's Etsy shop. It was a free gift when I purchased some of her lovely Downton Abbey-inspired needlepoint pendants. She informs me she acquired it from Kreinik.

Basically what I did: I used a sharpie to make little dots on the canvas, put the red and blue where I wanted it. Stitched it all. It's a simple stitch on lower second hole to upper first hole. Google it. Just before finishing, while the sides were still awaiting stitches, I threaded my beads onto the elastic cord. This was tricky. I had to tie some thread to the cord and use a small needle to transfer the beads from the needle to the thread to the cord. Once I figured out this method, it was a breeze.

I then tied (knotted) the ends of cord to the top of one of the sides and made my red yard stitches cover the loose ends. Now I have a glitterly handle that stretches over my hand onto my wrist.

And did I mention that I have glow-in-the-dark thread around the the white stripes of the Union Jack? I tried to get a photo of it glowing in the dark, but I failed. Trust me though; it's there and it looks great in the dark.

Once I finished sewing the pattern, it looked like this:

I then trimmed some red adhesive felt the size of the clutch (a bit smaller, actually as once it begins to fold with the purse, it starts to hang over the edges. More trimming may be necessary as you stitch.)

I occasionally sewed through the felt as I stitched the clutch up the sides.

Those bare spots? You can cover them later, but as the for that large area, I left it feltless on purpose because the clasp bottom needs to poke through there and so I cut that piece off the big piece to add AFTER it's sewn up and the clasp is poked through, to avoid sharp edges inside the purse.

And the finished product came out looking...

What do you think?

April Bookmark Giveaway

For the month of April, I'm doing something different: A bookmark Giveaway. It's a book clip. It measures 2" by 4" total and I stitched it. :) The pattern, floss, and clip itself all came from a kit from Crafter's Pride.

I simply had no books that I could giveaway on here this month and I stole this idea from my friend, Tanzanite. See her blog: http://shelfandstuff.blogspot.com/ where she always has a bookmark giveaway going on. Please enter hers. Tanzanite gets full credit for this idea and for turning me on to cross stitching in the first place. She is also more talented than me and makes her own patterns!

So, leave a comment anytime the month of April for a chance to win this bookmark clip. The winner will be chosen from Jazzy's food bowl at the end of the month, on the last day, at her and my convenience. Be sure to provide a way of contacting you.

Books: Treats For Humans

Look what I made this weekend! I have been wanting a pug bookmark for some time.. well I searched everywhere and I found a cute puppy bookmark on Etsy.com. I asked the designer if they could turn the puppy into a pug and she did! Kitty City Creations provided me a pattern for download and I made a few changes I had Pudgy Pug right in front of me and I literally held bits of floss up to her fur and did some color adjusting. I also changed the text. The pattern said "Is it getting good?" That's cute, but Pudgy wanted it to say something about treats... her favorite thing in the world.

And what does Pudgy say about it? She says that now that I've completed my weekend project on the fake pug, I need to pay attention to the real pug. She has also demanded approximately five treats extra in the course of the day to pay her for all the time she spent modeling and posing for me.

What a demanding doggy!!

Love whoo you are...

Look what I made today! A friendly and cute reminder that I am going to put by my mirror so everyday when I'm counting my flaws.. "Oh a zit! Oh a wrinkle! Oh a gray hair! Is my chin fat??" I can look at this little reminder and remember to simply love myself the way I am.

The kit came from Pine Mountain Designs. It's just a little less than 5"x5" total after framing so it's an easy one day project and best of all.. there's no backstitching!! YEA! AND another bonus in Pine Mountain's favor: they put good quality floss in their kits. There were hardly any knots. So many x stitch kits today come with cheap a** floss that tangles and knots constantly...

And that's all I wanted to share. Check out their website for yourself sometime: www.pinemtndesigns.com. They also got a blog. http://pinemtndesigns.blogspot.com/

Women who behave rarely make history.

Look what I made!! It's going on my wall.. :) Very true saying... most of the time. The pattern is by Sue Hillis Designs. I didn't follow it to a tee though. I put only one rose on the hat and I got the pink colors messed up. See I started stiching thinking I had it all figured out with shell pink and very light shell pink and forgot there was supposed to be an ULTRA light shell pink so actually, all the pink is a mess.. but anyways.. it's on 14 count.

You can find this design and more on http://www.suehillisdesigns.net/. Some, like this one, come with little charms. (See the handcuffs up there.)

Some of these patterns are for sale (where I actually found and bought this pattern) at http://www.celticcrossstitchandcrafts.com/servlet/StoreFront.

Chicks Rule!

We sure do!! Check out my new pillow... and I made it! I was in a store today in Ogden, Utah called Shepard's Bush and I found this super cool kit. The kit includes the pillow sham (you stitch directly onto it) with ribbons attached, needle, floss, and instructions. It's also 10 count so super easy to see. The kit was 19 bucks. I had to buy the pillow separately, 11 bucks, but it took me only one evening to put it all together.

It's a "tie one on" pillow kit. After I stitched the picture, I simply slid the pillow into the sham and tied the ribbons at each end. It already has a place of honor on a family room chair.

The creators of this design/kit are Pine Mountain Designs. www.pinemtndesigns.com. Check out their website to see their other "tie one on" kits or just their other kits in general.

And don't forget, chicks rule!

Subversive Cross Stitch by Julie Jackson

Cross stitch is no longer just for grandmas. Now, thanks to Julie Jackson, there are patterns for the younger, more rebellious generation. It's no longer just bible verses, butterflies, and angels... It's four letter words, tattoo style designs, and sayings that can totally vent ones frustration.. And it's all in Subversive Cross Stitch.

There are 33 designs in this book and most of them are funny or offensive. In order to keep my blog appropriate for all who may come across it, I'm only showing two of the designs, both of which I made. (I also made a four letter word design.. but not posting it on here!)

First, I made something for my mother. Now, I love tatoos and thus, this design appealed to me. I played with it a bit though. I got rid of the heart and added a breast cancer ribbon that I found on crossstitch.com because my mom is a survivor.

 I also added the little blue birds from page 27, the Whatever design.

Upon completing this, I was having so much fun, I made myself one. Again, I made some modifications, I kept one bee but decided two was too cute and I have a reputation as a hard ass to maintain here... So, I replaced one bee with a skull and crossbones, pattern courtesy of whomever owned this book before me. I simply added a bow.

Gee, I wonder who Book Beeyatch is?

Note, I did not use plain white cross stitch fabric, but went with a pink stripe. I just wanted to be even more different.

In conclusion, I had fun with this book all weekend and I'm not even done making all I want to make from it. The designs are easy, simple to follow, none of those awful backstitches that take hours to do, and they are simple to change around. Check out this author's website for more offensive and fun stuff to stitch: http://www.subversivecrossstitch.com/index.html.

And that's what I did this weekend. :) I bought this book used on Amazon.